Our mission is to promote and honor the sport of lacrosse for the purpose of developing a love of the game through positive coaching, community among players, parents, coaches and officials. Our goal in honoring the game is that the game of Lacrosse teach

This coming spring Mass Bay will begin a new Select League offering under the same guiding principles and philosophy Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League (MBYLL) has been famous for (and commended by USLacrosse for as well). NSYLA will be sending out registration information on this right after Thanksgiving. Eligible players will be able to register between Dec 1st and Dec 10th 2011 for the Select Team.

As you may know, the Massachusetts Bay Youth Lacrosse League (MBYLL) is starting a select lacrosse league (MBSYLL) to supplement their existing schedule.MBYLL mandates that if a town has multiple teams in an age group, these teams must be evenly balanced based upon player skill, experience and age.As you know we also divide our players up by town to keep an even number of players from Southborough and Northborough on each team.There are no ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams and no ‘stacked’ teams at any level in any town program participating in MYBLL.The MYBLL provides a safe, enjoyable, learning experience for all participants.As a result, town teams have players with a wide range of lacrosse skill and competitiveness.Many of the players who want to commit to playing at a more advanced level may decide to quit town lacrosse and play exclusively with select programs.MBYLL has decided to address this issue by creating the Massachusetts Bay Select Youth Lacrosse League (MBSYLL).This is the first year for this program and many towns are participating at the U13 and U15 level.Based upon the comments from our recent survey (which had greater than 40% response rate)….

·Northborough/Southborough will participate in the new MBSYLL at the U13 and U15 Levels

·Tryouts will be used to determine the team roster (eligibility is discussed below)

Current layout of select program

·One U13 and One U15 team will be entered

·Player roster will consist of 19 players, 2 goalies and a taxi squad of extra players. The taxi squad number will be determined during the tryout process

·Registered Player’s names will be kept to one individual in the process

·The tryout process will be held during our normal evaluation process however, the actual evaluation will be modified/enhanced to accommodate the new select process.

·Coaches will be determined after the teams have been selected

·Fees - $100 per child, $25 off for each additional participant in the same family.

·Taxi Squad fee - $25.

·Separate registration will be emailed to all U13 and U15 players (eligibility still to be determined).This registration will open on Dec 1 and close on Dec 10.There will be no fees collected until after the teams have been selected in the spring.

·Eligibility during the season is based upon the player making 2 out of 3 practices in their town program in order to play in that week's game.

The following items are still to be determined and will be finalized during a meeting after the registration on December 10.There is a group of coaches and board members who are currently working through the details on how to implement this program into the NSYLA and at the same time maintain the MYBLL coaching philosophies.If anyone is interested in participating in this program please contact a board member.

·General eligibility is being discussed and some feel everyone should be eligible and some feel only kids who have played a certain number of years at each level.MBYLL has recommended, but not mandated, that players involved with the select program have at least 1-2 years of experience but will allow each town to make their own decision.

·Evaluation process, including the actual evaluation as well as who will be doing the evaluations.These issues range from timed running, full field scrimmages, as well as bringing in coaches from outside the program.

We believe that the MBSYLL will provide our players an alternative to other select leagues and will help strengthen our town program.We do not, however, want to stray from our goal of helping each and every player to improve over the course of the season and that is why the primary focus will remain on the Sunday teams and why we will not tolerate any ‘better than thou attitude’ from the players.That attitude will be cause for dismissal from the select team. We ask for your patience in this inaugural season and always welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.

MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program

Optional U15 & U13 town-based competitive youth lacrosse program

Objective:
Establish a complementary MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program enabling MBYLL member towns an additional playing opportunity for their more experienced and committed U15 (7th & 8th grade) and U13 (5th & 6th grade) players during the spring season to practice and compete on a unified, town-based select team in regularly scheduled games vs. similar towns/teams/programs in & around eastern and central Massachusetts. The MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program will be a natural extension and fully integrated with the traditional MBYLL Town Program and will be guided by the same mission and goals of the MBYLL as a whole. The MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program will focus on: teaching the game while utilizing the best coaching & instructional tools available, adopting & following the PCA (Positive Coaching Alliance) guidelines, and further developing the teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play and skill level of all players, all teams and all towns in the MBYLL.

The MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program practice & game schedule will not conflict with the MBYLL Town Program weekly practice & Sunday game schedule and is open to ALL interested towns. Again, players choosing to play on a MBYLL Select Lacrosse team MUST also play on their town’s traditional MBYLL Town team as well.

Keys Points:
Establish this new MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program for these reasons:
· Improve the overall program and positive experience for all involved in the MBYLL;
· Enable more experienced middle school youth players to play together on a unified town team;
· Simplify parent/player travel & carpool logistics w/ local practices/games;
· Improve the competitive level of lacrosse, competition & capabilities in all players, teams & towns;
· In sync with, and complementary to, the mission & goals of the traditional MBYLL Town program;
· A natural extension and logical progression of a growing MBYLL.

and NOT for the following reasons….

We are NOT doing this for the sometimes mentioned wrong reasons (i.e. to be exclusionary, Select to a fault, Elite Team fever, A-B-C rankings, or the better-than-you mentality).

Background:
Each year as lacrosse continues to grow in Massachusetts, we see a greater variance on the field between the skill level of our youth players and their game experience overall. Each year more experienced MBYLL youth players have looked outside the MBYLL and the traditional MBYLL Sunday schedule—and in some cases, outside of their town—to fulfill their desire for a more competitive or more advanced level of lacrosse. Unfortunately many of these non-town based club programs, although well intended, miss the mark in a number of areas for players, coaches & parents alike due to many factors ranging from field availability, scheduling issues, travel distances to games, variations in coaching quality and discrepancies in the team selection process.

There are number of MBYLL towns that have participated in complementary and regionally-based Tournament or Select league programs within their towns playing against similar town-based Select teams from other towns and always at times that do not conflict with the traditional MBYLL Town weekday practice or Sunday game schedule. The MBYLL’s objective is to unify and integrate these complementary Leagues in to one MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program.

Program Overview:
The MBYLL Select Lacrosse program is a separate and distinct program from the traditional MBYLL Town program (U15, U13, U11, U9) & Sunday game schedule or a towns weekend in-town recreational program.

Program Name:

MBYLL Select Team

MBYLL Town Team

U7 & Intramural Team

(by grade, age & experience)

(by grade & age)

(by grade, age & if new)

Teams

U15 (7th/8th) & U13 (5th/6th)

U15, U13, U11, U9

U9 (2nd) & U7 (KG/1st)

Experience

Advanced

Balanced

New to Lacrosse

Game days

Fri. nights or Sat.

Sundays

Sundays

Practice days

Weekdays (1 or more)

Weekends (1 or more)

Weekdays (1 or more)

Season Start/End

March to June

March to June

April/May to June

MBYLL Select Lacrosse games in the spring will be held on Friday nights as a rule or alternatively Saturday or Monday nights. The MBYLL Select Lacrosse practice & game schedule will not conflict with the MBYLL Town practice or Sunday game schedule. The MBYLL Select Lacrosse program will have Division standings, playoffs, championships and an All-Star game at end of the season. Again, players choosing to participate in the MBYLL Select Lacrosse program MUST also play in their MBYLL Town program (minimum 1 practice & 1 game per week) during spring season*.

*Consideration and potential exceptions should be given to players who are also already participating on a private or public middle-school-based team during the week.

Team Composition, Player Eligibility & Selection Process:
The criteria for playing on MBYLL Select Lacrosse Team may vary from town to town, however as a guideline it is recommended that towns select players based on experience, skill level, desire & commitment. No town wants to exclude a player subjectively — rather the objective is to establish a base line for the needed experience level & commitment required to participate on one of these teams in this new MBYLL Select Lacrosse program. Some towns will choose to hold tryouts while others towns may have players & parents self select in to this new program with a clear understanding of the additional time commitment required. Town Program Directors also need to make sure they have the coaching resources & field space availability in their towns to accommodate the additional practices & games if they decide to participate in this program.

Note: While MBYLL Select Lacrosse teams may not necessarily involve player tryouts (again, decision is at the discretion of each town), many of the teams participating in the MBYLL Select Lacrosse program will be “select” teams at each level. If players meet the experience requirement, they should also have the desire & commitment to play on a competitive town-based team before opting on to a MBYLL Select Lacrosse team.

Teams: (EXAMPLE ONLY—each town can decide on the selection process for their teams)
On each MBYLL Select Lacrosse Team:
· Players have chosen lacrosse as their primary spring sport.
· Players must also participate on their traditional MBYLL Town Team (practices & Sunday games).
· Players choose their MBYLL Select Team & MBYLL Town Team as their only spring lax teams.

U15 Team. Boys currently in 7th & 8th grades & who are under 15 years of age on January 1st, 2012.Players have 2+ years of competitive lacrosse experience & strong desire to play moreJ

U13 Team. Boys currently in 5th & 6th grades & who are under 13 years of age on January 1st, 2012.Players have 1+ year of competitive lacrosse experience & strong desire to play more J

As a complementary component of the MBYLL, the MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program is a competitive league that stresses sportsmanship and fair play where every game is played with our ‘Spirit of the Game’ philosophy. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules and the basic joy of lacrosse. The MBYLL Select Lacrosse program is an extension of the MBYLL and its mission to teach, grow and honor the great game of lacrosse throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The MBYLL Select Lacrosse Season overview:
· 7 regular season games
· 1 tournament game (“win and stay in” tournament)
· 1 All-Star game per age group
· Each game will have two EMLOA Referee Officials

The MBYLL Select Lacrosse Structure:
· Teams will be Town-based from MBYLL Programs*
· *MBYLL Towns with less than two U15 or U13 teams can regionalize with other neighboring towns.
· Players MUST play in their MBYLL Town program (practice at least 1 night per week plus Sunday game.
· MBYLL Select Committee Region representatives we will work together to finalize & communicate any additional program details and, going forward, will consider & adapt this new program where needed.

MBYLL Select Lacrosse Game Schedule & Divisions I, II, III:
· Games will be played primarily on Friday nights, or Saturdays or Monday nights if a town cannot get a field for Friday night. No games on Sunday, so players can always participate in their MBYLL Town game.
· Rainouts can be re-scheduled, as long as both teams agree on an upcoming Saturday or Monday night.
· Game scheduling will be done regionally—same as MBYLL Sunday game scheduling process—and will be based on the town programs input as well as a town programs prior season skill level if possible.
· Towns will self-select-in & decide before the season starts to enter their MBYLL Select team(s) in either Division I (Advanced), Division II (Experienced) or Division III (New). If the total # of teams registered in a Division are too low, MBYLL Select Committee reps may need to consolidate the # of Divisions.
· MBYLL Select Lacrosse teams in Division I may need to travel outside their traditional MBYLL Region’s geography in order to facilitate a competitive game schedule throughout the entire spring season.
· MBYLL Select final game schedule may be re-adjusted after the 3rd game of the season to better balance the team competition in each Division.

MBYLL Select Lacrosse League Fees:
· The fee for 2012 season will be either $500/team & towns pay Refs; or $1,000/team & league pays Refs. MBYLL Select committee regional reps to decide. Home team responsible for game balls & timekeeper.

MBYLL Select Lacrosse Tournament:
· The MBYLL Select tournament will be held over the final two weeks of the season.
· Game #1 will be held on Monday night (rain or scheduling conflict will play Tuesday or Weds. night)
· Based on Division standings, higher seeds may get a bye on this first Monday night to balance bracket.
· Game #2 will be held on Thursday night (rain or scheduling conflict will play Friday night or Saturday).
· Game #3 will be held on the following Monday night (rain or scheduling conflict will play Tuesday).
· Semi Finals will be played on Wednesday night (rain or scheduling conflict will play Thursday).
· Finals will be played on Friday night (rain or scheduling conflict will play Saturday).

MBYLL Select Lacrosse Member Agreement:
· Each town must provide a safe, regulation-sized lacrosse field at no cost to league for all home games.
· Each player and coach must be a member of US Lacrosse and a member of MBYLL in good standing.
· All coaches in the MBYLL Select Lacrosse program will be MBYLL-certified; preferably also USL certified.
· If a town enters more than one MBYLL Select team at any age level, then those 2 or more teams must either play in different Divisions OR be evenly balanced by experience, skill, age & size (honor system).
· MBYLL Select coach is expected to play all players on their bench—unless injured—in min. 2 qrtrs. per game. *Exceptions for coach, town or league enforcing a disciplinary action to a specific player—and player & his parent(s) have been notified—resulting in a player’s reduced game time or suspension.
· Team Rosters, including coaches and managers, must be registered online on MBYLL Select Lacrosse website (www.mbyll.org). Any changes to a team’s roster during the season must be updated on the website by the coach or team manager as well as must be communicated to the head coach of the opposing team prior to any upcoming game.

MBYLL Select Lacrosse All-Star Games:
· 1 to 2 players from each team are chosen to participate in the season-ending MBYLL Select All-Star Game (Team composition TBD: i.e. East vs. West or North vs. South or other).
· The All-Star game will be played either prior to a Boston Cannons home game at Harvard Stadium OR at an alternative date/location TBA.
· MBYLL Select Lacrosse will provide players with All-Star jerseys for the game (that players can keep J).
· Coaches of the MBYLL Select Division I, II & III Championship games will coach the All-Star game.

MBYLL Select Lacrosse Leadership & Organizational Support
· New MBYLL Board position to be created to lead MBYLL Select Lacrosse Program & related Committees.
· MBYLL Select Lacrosse Regional Representatives TBD & up to two in each of the five (5) MBYLL Regions.
· MBYLL Select Lacrosse will have the full support and backing of the MBYLL leadership & organization; particularly in the areas related to coaching education, referee communication & logistics, game scheduling, financial resources, budgeting & accounting support and web site integration.
· MBYLL leadership & organization will continue to be open to recommendations from member towns and current complementary Select or Tournament leagues on ways to improve MBYLL Select lacrosse going forward so together we can fulfill our mission to teach, grow and honor the game.